Up until a few minutes ago I didn't have the correct Flash Player, or whatever it is I needed, to view the Volvo Cars UK website.

So to save time finding details for this week's Volvo V60 estate road test, I had a look on a few motoring websites.

Amazing how easy it is to find conflicting reports on a car. One site tested two different V60s, one with the 2.4-litre 205bhp diesel engine (which is what we've got) and the other with the 2.0-litre diesel.

One car had a boot that was too small and the other had one that was 'generous' in size. Funny that, I didn't realise that there was a relationship between horsepower and luggage space.

Another reporter stated that anyone within Volvo who referred to the new V60 as an estate car would be put on bog cleaning for a week; yet on the Volvo website (when I got it working) the V60 is listed under the estate car heading.

Still, we all make mistakes: last week I put the wrong photograph on the Lotus Elise test, but I hope you didn't notice (you will have done).

You have to feel slightly sorry for Volvo's designers. If they had got their rulers out and drawn the sort of Volvo that antiques dealers used to drive in the 1980s then they'd have been accused of designing a boxy-looking car that was as attractive as a hearse.

SLOPING

They haven't, as you can see here, and instead they've come up with an estate that has a gently sloping back that looks very stylish.

Now, of course, it's not a proper Volvo estate because it's not got enough room in the back for an upright piano and a Victorian wheelbarrow. In fact, the luggage space is only a few litres smaller than the BMW 3-Series Touring's and the load area is slightly wider.

The Swede loses out overall because the roof is a bit lower.

If you do want to shift bigger stuff then you could buy the larger and boxier V70, which isn't a lot more money.

British roads aren't like other European roads. We have good quality Tarmac with plenty of grip, but it's falling to bits and rutted. If you're selling a car that's going to be used on roads like ours then this is where you need to do your development driving.

It's hardly surprising that most Audis have an uncomfortable ride when they're developed on roads in Germany that you could play snooker on. It's like testing umbrellas destined for Morecambe in the Sahara desert.

Volvo tested the new V60 in Wiltshire and it shows. The ride is comfortable, yet the car feels very sporty for a Volvo. Ours is fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox, which is probably not what most buyers will choose, but it does make for entertaining driving. is -GRUFF The 205bhp diesel engine has five cylinders and sounds quite gruff in an interesting sort of way.

The official combined fuel consumption is 52.3mpg but we managed a more realistic 38mpg over 400 miles, mostly on motorways.

The V60 feels extremely well made.

This SE Lux Premium contains loads of bells and whistles, including a sat-nav. Volvo used to have the sat-nav screen rise out of the top of the dashboard like an old cinema organ, but now it's in the middle of the facia, where it's so much easier to see.

The cabin isn't exciting to look at and feels a bit sensible - Germanic, but it's well organised and everything's easy to find and operate.

At £32,165 I think this particular V60 model is a bit on the steep side. By dropping down to the 2.0-litre diesel engine and making do with less gadgetry you could save a useful £7,000 and still have a car that looks better than the S60 saloon (which isn't ugly itself) and is extremely comfortable to drive.

It's not a 3-Series BMW, or an Audi, but for some people that'll be an added bonus.